Brother, Sister Duo Help Lead Golf Team To Title

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BERLIN, Md. (AP) — Most siblings are competitive, however you rarely find a brother and sister pair compete together. But Joe and Delaney Iacona have spent the past two seasons helping the Stephen Decatur golf team reach new heights.

Joe, who was the No. 1-ranked golfer in the Bayside South this season, and Delaney, who finished as the third-ranked golfer, have helped lead the way for their Decatur side all season long. The duo was crucial in the Seahawks’ recent efforts to capture both a Bayside and District VIII championships.

“This is the first time that I have had a brother and a sister duo,” Jim Krall, Decatur’s golf coach said. “I’m just so fortunate that both of them are excellent golfers.”

Delaney has been a pleasant surprise for Krall and the Seahawks, as the sophomore has performed well even though she is still relatively new to the sport.

“My dad and my brother got me into it” she recalled. “This is only like my third year I’ve been golfing competitively. It hasn’t been as challenging as I thought it would be. It kind of just came naturally in a way, I was just born into it I guess.”

Before her freshman year, Delaney joined her father and her brother on a golf outing and got hooked on the sport. While she hasn’t gotten any professional instruction, she does get advice from her family, and has continued to improve each time she gets on a golf course.

“It’s awesome to see how she has done this year, I would have never expected that at the beginning of the season,” Joe said. “She’s definitely improved not only from last year, but from the summer tournaments she played in. I guess the peak of her season so far was the even-par round at Deer Run, and that was just awesome. I was ecstatic, Dad was ecstatic and I’m pretty sure she was happy, too.”

While Joe has beaten his sister a number of times, the Deer Run match was the first instance in which Delaney had returned the favor.

“She toasted the field, she torched us,” Joe said. “She definitely got to wave it in my face for a little while because that was my worst tournament of the year and that was her best. So the table was turned for the week. But she has been solid all around this year, and it’s been really fun having her out here and playing with her.”

The senior said that he has enjoyed sharing the time on the links with his sister, and believes she is only scratching the surface of her potential.

“It’s been really cool having her on the team,” Joe said. “It’s competitive and I think she will end up being a better player than I am, but it’s just really enjoyable because we brought her into the game, me and my dad. And for her to come out freshman year and make the team and for her to improve so much, it’s just been really cool and really fun to play with her. It’s easy to drive her to practice and stuff, and it’s just fun to be out there with her because it’s just like being at home and hanging out.”